TORONTO – Retail advertising continued to generate the most complaints from Canadian consumers in 2014, closely followed by the leisure services category, says the Advertising Standards Canada (ASC).
In its annual Ad Complaints Report, the ASC said that it received 130 complaints about the retail advertising category, followed by 101 for leisure services (travel and accommodation services, entertainment services, and bars and restaurants), and 85 for non-commercial, a category that includes advertising by governments, charities, advocacy groups, and other not-for-profit organizations. Telecommunications ranked seventh out of the ten categories, with 45 complaints. More than half (54%) of complaints submitted were about allegedly inaccurate or misleading advertising.
Due to its broad reach, advertising on television, with 500 complaints, garnered the highest number of complaints of any medium. Digital advertising generated the second highest number with 289, primarily related to advertising on advertiser owned websites. This was followed by advertising in the out-of-home medium (which includes billboards and transit advertisements) with 91, direct marketing with 71, and advertising on the radio with 64 complaints.
Overall, the ASC received 1,274 complaints from consumers about 864 advertisements last year. Of that, 80 complaints, concerning 36 advertisements, were determined to have contravened the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards by the independent, volunteer Standards Councils.
“Through their complaints, Canadians tell us they are concerned about ads they believe are misleading or inaccurate, such as offers that were not honoured by retailers, and claims that could not be substantiated,” said Janet Feasby, VP of ASC standards, in the report’s news release.
ASC’s communications manager in Quebec, Danielle Lefrançois, added that ads that viewers perceived as sexist and demeaning to women were of particular concern in that province.
Founded in 1957, Advertising Standards Canada is the national advertising industry self-regulatory body that administers the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, the principal instrument of advertising self-regulation in Canada, and accepts complaints from consumers about advertising. Its members include Canadian advertisers, advertising agencies, media organizations and suppliers to the advertising industry.
